The Lake Forest College women's basketball team opened the
2009-10 season by falling 66-64 to visiting UW-Oshkosh Tuesday
night (November 17). It was also the first game of the season for
the Titans.
Lake Forest was led by senior forward Claire Schmidt (Kankakee,
Ill./Bishop McNamara), who scored 15 points, pulled down 13
rebounds, matched a career-high with six assists, and added a pair
of blocked shots. Senior center Lisa Nassin (Evergreen Park,
Ill./Evergreen Park) also scored 15 points and senior guard Tracy Rainey (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) had 14. Freshman guard Sam Schuring (Elk Grove, Calif./Elk Grove) recorded five steals in her
collegiate debut.
The Foresters shot 48.9 percent from the field but missed all four
of their three-point field goal attempts and knocked down just 18
of 28 free throws. Oshkosh shot 42.1 percent from the floor,
3-for-12 from beyond the arc, and 15-for-22 from the line. Lake
Forest out-rebounded the Titans 34-33 but committed 19 turnovers
while forcing 17.
Oshkosh jumped out to a 9-2 lead early in the game but a 14-3
Forester run later in the first half gave the home team an 18-14
advantage. The lead changed hands three more times late in the
period and the Titans led 30-27 at halftime.
After scoring the last five points of the first half, Oshkosh also
netted the first five points of the second to take an eight-point
lead, the largest margin in the game. The Foresters battled back
again and tied the score at 45 with 8:11 to play. The Titans pulled
away, however, and led by eight points (60-52) again with 3:50 left
on the clock. Four free throws by Rainey and a traditional
three-point play by Nassin cut the deficit to a single point with
less than two minutes remaining. Oshkosh was ahead by three before
a pair of baskets by Nassin gave the home team its first lead of
the period, a 64-63 advantage with 21 seconds to play. Oshkosh,
however, converted a three-point play with two seconds on the clock
and a half-court attempt by Schuring at the buzzer rimmed out,
giving the Titans the victory.
Lake Forest will be back in the Sports Center for the 18th annual
Forester Tip-Off Tournament this weekend (November 20-21). The team
will host Alverno College Friday night at 8:00 and will play either
Concordia University Wisconsin or Loras College in the championship
(3:00) or consolation (1:00) Saturday afternoon. Live video
webcasts of all Forester home and MWC contests are available at
www.midwestconference.tv.